Temple · Higashiyama

Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺

Kyoto's most famous temple, its main hall cantilevered over a forested ravine on 18 giant zelkova pillars, with the whole city laid out below and the Otowa spring trickling out beneath the stage.

About

Founded in 778 and rebuilt in 1633 on the orders of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, Kiyomizu-dera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the anchor of the Higashiyama district. Its National Treasure main hall stands on a wooden scaffold-like stage built without a single nail, 13 m above the slope, which gave Japanese the proverb "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" for taking a bold leap. The precinct climbs through the vermilion Niomon gate and a three-storey pagoda to the main hall and its Kannon image, then loops down past Okunoin, whose terrace gives the classic view back toward the stage framed by maples. At the bottom, three streams of the Otowa waterfall are drunk with long-handled ladles for longevity, success and love. The approach via Kiyomizu-zaka and Sannenzaka is lined with pottery and sweet shops, and spring and autumn bring night illuminations when the stage glows above a sea of cherry blossom or red leaves.

Highlights

• The 18 m wide hinoki-bark stage on 18 zelkova pillars, rebuilt in 1633 without nails
• View from the Okunoin terrace back across the ravine to the main hall stage
• Otowa-no-taki, three spring streams drunk from long-handled ladles
• Vermilion Niomon gate and three-storey pagoda, among the tallest in Japan
• Spring and autumn night illuminations with a blue searchlight beamed over the city

Tips

• Arrive at 6:00 when the gate opens: by 9:30 the Kiyomizu-zaka slope is shoulder to shoulder.
• Walk up via Gojo-zaka and Chawan-zaka rather than Kiyomizu-zaka, a quieter lane of pottery shops.
• Most of the grounds and the Otowa spring are outside the paid area; the fee covers the main hall and stage.
• Continue downhill through Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka toward Kodai-ji and Yasaka Shrine for the classic Higashiyama walk.
• City buses to Gojozaka are overloaded; walking 15 minutes from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station on the Keihan Line is often faster.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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